Five Players Hull City MUST sign before the Premier League begins

Taking the giant leap from Championship to Premier League football and remaining in the league is never an easy task to make considering the amount of teams that typically get relegated the year after. Hull City are one of three promoted teams, along with Middlesbrough and Burnley, who are tasked with staying above the relegation zone in the Premier League come May next year.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, a lack of support from owners Assem and Ehab Allam along with no new signings and a vacant manager position, the chance of remaining in the league for years to come looks significantly slim. It gets even worse for the side as the club are also reported to have a very low transfer budget. As of writing, Hull City currently have 13 fit senior players, potentially dropping to 12 should Mohamed Diame depart for Newcastle. Michael Dawson, Allan McGregor, Alex Bruce, Moses Odubajo, Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore are all players currently on the sidelines dealing with injuries.

With a lack of depth in nearly every position on the pitch, it is vital for the Tigers to strengthen and sign new senior players for their team before the new Premier League season commences on the 13th of August. The following takes a look at six players Hull City should look to sign to strengthen their overall team before the new season commences.

Mark Schwarzer | Goalkeeper

Club: Free Agent | Estimated Fee: £0

With Allan McGregor out on the sidelines for at least 4 months, one of the biggest issues currently facing Hull City is not having a suitable goalkeeper who could help keep the Tigers in the top flight. Despite already having two healthy goalkeepers in Eldin Jakupovic and Dusan Kuciak, you could very well argue that the two are not good enough to earn a starting role in the first team until McGregor returns in the near future.

Regardless, both remain hungry to earn their position in the team but added competition could benefit both goalkeepers. At the age of 43, Mark Schwarzer is an experienced goalkeeper who has done a lot throughout his career, playing more than 800 games whilst contributing towards winning trophies like the Premier League. The Australian has also been a major asset to his country during the World Cup.

Considering his age, there is not much left for the Australian to do in football and could fancy one final challenge at the Tigers in what should be his last year as a professional footballer. His experience could also be highly beneficial to the current goalkeepers challenging for a first team spot, as he could mentor the two to help them become better goalkeepers later in their careers.

Phil Jones | Centre Back

Club: Manchester United | Estimated Fee: £10 million

The addition of Phil Jones will inevitably surprise a majority of people if the transfer were to happen. Currently out of favour with brand new manager Jose Mourinho and falling in the pecking order at Old Trafford, the departure of Phil Jones looks likelier as each day passes. Jones would still be a top signing for a majority of the lower sides in the Premier League who are battling to avoid the drop. With an injury crisis currently damaging the Hull City team, signing a professional defender in Phil Jones would especially be beneficial for them going into the new season.

Unfortunately, completing the signing of Phil Jones would definitely be a difficult task to complete considering a potential high transfer fee along with a big wage that Hull may not be able to pay. Unless Jones himself agrees to a decline in wages, it is difficult to see a deal finalised between Manchester United and Hull City. If a deal does happen between the two, Hull City fans could enjoy a partnership between Curtis Davies and Phil Jones for a majority of the season, and could very well be a solid partnership that could keep the Tigers in the Premier League.

If Hull City do not pursue Phil Jones from Manchester United, another defender that they could sign before the Premier League kicks off is Jores Okore from Aston Villa. Out of all areas on the pitch, City are in desperate need of experienced players for the defensive department following injuries to the likes of: Michael Dawson, Alex Bruce and also Moses Odubajo. After being sent to train with the U21 squad, Okore’s future at Aston Villa looks a major doubt, and Hull City must capitalise on that.

The 23-year old would be an asset towards the lack of depth Hull City currently have in defence, and could most certainly challenge for a consistent place within the starting eleven. Considering Curtis Davies is the only fit mainstay in the first team, it would not be difficult for Okore to break into the first team. Hull City need to do whatever they can to sign Okore due to the lack of fit senior players they have since Aston Villa got relegated last season and Okore has been forced to train with the U21s, Hull City could easily pull off the signing of the player.

As noted, an injury crisis is most certainly damaging the Hull City first team and they are in serious need of new players to add extra depth in every position should more injuries occur. Out of all positions on the pitch, the Tigers currently do not have any issues with regards to attacking options. One of the very few positives facing Hull City is the fact that striker Adama Diomande has recently returned to training, offering the side different options in attack. Regardless, Hull needs to add a better quality striker to the side who will apply fierce competition to strikers Abel Hernandez and Adama Diomande.

Although not signing any players thus far in the transfer window, Hull City have still been active within the market but have had loan offers rejected for accomplished strikers Christian Benteke and Wilfried Bony. Since Hull City need to sign a striker prior to the start of the new league season, one man they should look to sign is none other than Arouna Kone. The current Everton striker has rarely seen consistent playing time during his tenure at Everton considering he has only played 53 games across 3 years with the Toffees.

With only two strikers at the KCOM stadium, bringing in a striker like Arouna Kone would most certainly benefit the Tigers as a result of the fact that it offers different options in attack. Whoever takes charge of the club next could create a partnership between the duo or rotate the two depending on the game to try and keep Hull in the top flight.

With promising right back Moses Odubajo out for a reported 6 months with a knee injury, Hull City are in need of an accomplished right-back who will successfully play for the Tigers for a majority of the league season, with Arsenal player Mathieu Debuchy one of the best options available for the Tigers to sign. Dealt with ongoing injury problems, Debuchy has failed to become a mainstay in the Arsenal lineup after being replaced by talented youngster Hector Bellerin. Regardless of whether Arsenal will look to sell or loan the player, either will indefinitely be the best option possible for the Frenchman as he looks to play consistent first team football.

Should Debuchy become available to sign, the Tigers need to do whatever they can to sign the player in order to vastly improve a woeful defensive lineup. Debuchy would especially be beneficial considering his ability to play as a right back, as well as having the versatility to play as a centre-back – two of the positions damaged by injury. Debuchy has proven his worth to the Premier League and could be a key player for the Tigers as they challenge to stay in England’s best league. When Odubajo recovers from injury, the ability to learn and train alongside a player like Debuchy will definitely help him improve as a right back for the future.